For Those Who Bring the Night
by turtlequeen2
Summary: To defeat the Pharoah, Bakura sold his soul to Zorc for the command of the shadows. After accepting that he lost his humanity, Bakura only lives to see the Pharoah's death. What if his host disagrees with his fate? To those who bring the night, is there any hope left for them? Tendershipping. BxR
1. Prologue: Selling His Soul

**Disclaimer: **

Wow… never thought I'd stray so far away from Inuyasha… lol. So, this is going to be my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic. Please don't judge too harshly. XD

I do not own YGO!; only Kazuki Takahashi has that honor.

A few notes about this fic: I'm going to be changing around some of the canon facts to fit my needs so please suspend some disbelief. For instance, I'm making Zorc and Yami Bakura have a separate consciousness inside of the Millennium Ring. I'm also making up my own version of how the two meet. Also, I'm going mostly off of the manga canon for events and personalities…

The title of this fic comes from the Nightwish song "Whoever Brings the Night." The song is fitting for some aspects of Bakura's personality that will be brought to light throughout this plot. That and I just love Nightwish so I have this excuse to make a reference to one of their songs.

And yes, this is going to eventually be a Tendershipping fic. If you don't like the pairing or anything relating to yaoi, I'd suggest clicking the back button now. On with the fic!

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**Prologue: Selling His Soul**

Thievery was an art. To become an extension of the night and rob from the unsuspecting was a skill that took years of practice. Not just anyone could approach the calling. It took birthright and natural instinct. If a person made one wrong move, it would cost a limb or even a life.

One man in particular stood above the rest. He terrorized villages and tomb keepers all across the countryside. Some would even call him a King of Thieves. He never made any mistakes and whenever he set his sights on a goal, he ended up attaining it one way or another.

Today was of no exception.

The dark-skinned Egyptian wore an arrogant grin as he walked into an inn and approached the innkeeper behind the stone counter. He ignored the strange looks he received. It wasn't like he hid the fact that he had many spoils from his previous jobs. His red and white cloak was draped over with gold chains and other fine metals. His hands were lined with gold rings and his wrists were adorned with gold bands and bracelets. To say he stuck out amongst the crowd of commoners was an understatement. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was a dangerous man.

The innkeeper frowned, seeming weary of any strange characters that came into his establishment. "Sir, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave this place immediately," he began in a careful tone. It was obvious that he was scared.

Cold violet-gray eyes flickered with amusement. The thief in question gave a snort before unclasping a bracelet from around his wrist and sitting it down on the counter. "Will this be enough?" The double criss-cross scar that was left under his right eye scrunched up as his cheeks rose in another confident grin. He could already sense the man's change of mood.

The innkeeper's eyes widened. The solid gold from the jewelry would be enough to feed his family for at least a few years to come. Criminal or not, the gold was well worth the risk. He cleared his throat. "…What I meant to say was that you're very welcome here! How many nights will you be staying?"

"Two nights at the most," the Thief King replied, pushing down the white hood that concealed his sandy, silver-colored hair. He shook his head slightly, the wild shoulder-length mane loosening as he relaxed in the presence of the other nervous patrons. It honestly didn't matter if no one in here liked his company. As a thief, he knew never to stay in one same place for more than a few days at a time. Such was the life of a criminal on the run. He glanced around him, unimpressed with the other men who were staying for the night. Most of them knew better than to try and rob him. His aura alone gave off that of a ruthless killer. Even if one was stupid enough to try, he wasn't intimidated by anyone in the area. He could tell just by looking that no one had enough of a drive to sacrifice their lives for a few pieces of gold.

After being led off to his room, the young man sat down on his cot and leaned back against the stone wall. From the hole carved into the wall across from him, he was able to see some of the stars that were beginning to come out from sunset. He chuckled to himself, thinking of his earlier escapades during the day. The person he stole that token of payment from was none other than the village's tax collector. The fat man didn't even notice as he brushed past him in the wandering crowd and slipped the bracelet off of his arm. Ignorant noble.

He folded his arms behind his head, almost sighing. Lately, he had become bored of his latest victims. They were weaklings. He had targeted the local noblemen whether they were priests or rich merchants. Very rarely was he awarded the treat of stealing from a tomb and even _that _was proving to be less challenging to him. Once you stole from one, you could easily figure out how to rob from the rest. Tomb keepers and other such guards were just annoyances rather than challenges. He didn't really know why he continued living like a criminal. Rather than it being an exciting lifestyle, it had become a habit or an addiction that he couldn't shake. He stole as often as he breathed. It was all he knew since he was born.

He closed his eyes for a few moments before a frown marred his features. He honestly hated sleeping or long moments of silence. Whenever he had time alone to himself, his thoughts would go back to that time when his first life ended. Kul Elna. The slaughter of his people. It happened nearly a decade ago and still the massacre was fresh in his mind as if it had happened the night before.

Just before his eyes opened back up, he saw something in the blackness. It was brief flash of light followed by an odd pull on his chest. His eyes opened again, getting up from his cot as if an invisible force pulled him to his feet. He paused, feeling the pull again. What was this? It was like someone or some_thing _wanted him to go outside. It was a strange sensation and yet he was still tempted to find the source. It was similar to the drive he felt when he approached a tomb steeped in riches. Deciding to go with his gut, the Thief King left his lodgings and walked down the empty village streets until he reached the outskirts of the area. He paused in his steps when he saw that he was at the boundary of a desert. What the hell was he doing? He was prepared to turn around and head back to his room when he felt an unnatural wind whip through his cloak and nearly forced him to his knees. He shut his eyes to prevent sand from seeping into them, but when they opened, he found that he was surrounded in utter darkness.

The young man reached out in front of him as if to see if he could grab hold of something. Anything. There was nothing. The wind stopped. The cold chill from the night air was gone. It was like he had stepped into an endless void.

'…_Thief King…' _a voice beckoned from the darkness. It sounded far away with no discernible distinction between male or female.

The startled man strained himself to hear the voice and headed in its direction. He walked forward with no sense of where he was going. It was like he was walking on air. There were no walls, floors, or ceilings. A normal human would have probably been scared out of his mind by this discovery, but being forced to live on the edge for so long… It would take much more than being trapped in nothingness to force him to lose his mind.

'…_Bakura...' _The voice was louder now.

The Thief King frowned. "Who are you?" he demanded out loud, still heading in the direction of the voice. How did the person know his actual name? It had been so long since he heard it spoken by someone else.

'…_Bakura…! I will give you what you most desire…!' _

As soon as Bakura heard these words, he was blinded by a bright light and squinted as his cloak was rattled once again by a strong gust of unnatural wind. He grunted, trying to stand his ground on what he presumed to be solid. He hardly had the time to argue back against those words because as soon as he could see again, he looked up into the eyes of what he thought was Osiris himself. Was this the underworld? He felt his _Kaa_ pull out of his soul in an impulsive effort to protect his life.

It was the figure of a man who was not quite human in appearance. He wore black and dark red cloth that was symbolic of a wealthy individual or someone in royalty. His skin was nearly dark enough to match the black clothing that was on his back. However, what made him stand apart were his piercing red eyes and exposed skin that resembled more of a reptile than of a man. As soon as he spotted Bakura's pale expression, he grinned widely, revealing sharp canines. "…If you must know, this is not my true form…" he murmured. "I take on a different form depending on who I decide to call upon." His voice sounded more like layers of many voices that blended into one sound which further confused the Thief King.

Bakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the figure, already feeling great power from the being. Was he an Egyptian God? Somehow he felt that if it was indeed Osiris, he would not be standing at the moment. He felt the serphant's tail from his Diabound curve around his body like a transparent barrier. "What do you want from me?" he demanded, forcing anything that resembled fear out of his tone.

"I have no qualms with you," the figure hummed, amusement heard in the voice. "I actually would like to make a _deal _with you. One that would be very worth your time…"

"I don't make deals with people I don't know," Bakura growled, still weary of the being in front of him.

"Oh, how rude of me…" the entity mocked with a chuckle. "I go by many names, but you may call me Zorc Necrophades."

The Thief King halted at the name. Zorc? As in… the creator of the Shadows? "…What business would you have with _me_?" Why would a being only heard in legends want to speak with him? The circumstances of this visit made it too improbable for the man to be an imposter.

"You are aware that a new Pharoah has been placed on the throne as of a week ago?" Zorc began instead of directly answering him.

Bakura nodded but frowned instinctively. Who had not heard about it by this point in time? The entire countryside was up in arms about the succession of Pharoah Aknamkanon. "Answer my question." His voice grew stronger.

"_Don't you want to know the truth about why your family had to die?" _

The Thief King froze, Diabound disappearing in a flourish as his eyes widened. How the hell…?

"Seems that I've caught your interest…" Zorc said with a chuckle. His red eyes sparked with newfound amusement. He continued on when Bakura had no reply to those words. "Pharoah Aknamkanon ordered the slaughter of Kul Elna in order to summon my dark powers and create the Millennium Items."

"…Millennium Items…?" Bakura echoed. Honestly, he had figured out that Kul Elna's people were sacrificed for some reason. He just never figured out why it happened. Just as he asked the question, images of seven gold jewels appeared in his vision. He saw an eye, an ankh, an amulet, a ring, a tauk, a rod, and weight scales.

As he looked over the sacred items, Bakura wondered just what the previous Pharoah was thinking when he decided to slaughter his village. He knew that most of the people in the village were common murderers and thieves. They were all sent there as outcasts of society. However, that should have been the end of their punishment. Exile from the kingdom was bad enough since it only encouraged an even harsher living environment and a permanent entry into the bottom tier of the Egyptian caste system. Did the Pharoah suddenly grow bored of having a stained village on the outskirts of his city? Was it sacrificing for an invading army? Since Kul Elna was seen as a spec of dirt in the eyes of most Egyptians, it wasn't too much of a surprise to think that it would be the first city to go in the event of needing sacrifices. Blinking out of his thoughts, Bakura refocused his attention on Zorc.

"The spell required ninety nine sacrifices in order for these items to be made…" Zorc began. "The new Pharoah and his priests all possess these items for themselves… They made these items in order to 'protect' their subjects." The way "protect" was said clearly implied sarcasm.

Bakura's eyes narrowed at the man's words. Protect their kingdom by slaughtering the innocent? Yes, his village was home to thieves and criminals, but a good lot of them were women and children. The hypocrisy was as visible as the sun in the daytime sky.

"The spirits of your loved ones continue to haunt you, do they not?" Zorc continued, pausing in his explanation.

The Thief King narrowed his eyes impulsively. Did this person honestly expect him to open up and reveal his weaknesses? Before he could answer, he began to see wisps of transparent white light begin to form around his body. A swarm of them began to gather, each "face" complete with sunken black eyes. They began to wrap around his arms and legs, murmuring his name over and over. Bakura paled, not sure if he was hallucinating or seeing the real things. He wavered, falling to his knees as he tried to prevent himself from becoming physically ill. "S-stop this!" he commanded, his emotional control shattering as he looked up at Zorc with a pained expression on his face.

The God snickered at Bakura's misery. "I can give you the revenge you want… the power you desire to defeat the Pharoah and his family…" He then waved his hand, dismissing the spirits that continued to taunt the young thief. "As you are now, you cannot defeat the Pharoah and his Priests on your own…"

Bakura panted, moving slowly back onto his feet. Damn this bastard! He glared at Zorc, wondering if it was possible to kill a God. Still, part of him was curious. He _did _want to destroy the Pharoah for what happened to his family. He just never went for it because he knew that those damned Priests would kill him without much effort. "…How…?" he spoke quietly, hesitantly. "How…do I obtain this power?"

"You must obtain all seven Millennium Items," Zorc murmured, his tone growing serious. "Each item on its own gives the users unimaginable powers and if all seven of them are assembled, the user shall be bestowed the power to rule the entire world…"

The Thief King's eyes widened. They held that much power? He honestly didn't care much for world domination. He just wanted the Pharoah dead. Though… if he could usurp the throne… Who was to say that _he _couldn't become the new Pharoah and ruin an entire line of kings? He smirked at that thought.

After several moments of thought, he frowned. "How am I supposed to defeat all of the Priests if my Diabound cannot overpower any of them?"

Zorc gave a dark grin, exposing his canines. "I will be with you the entire step of the way… I will give you the powers you need to overcome their light…" he said with a chuckle.

Bakura blinked. He would gain incredible power just by agreeing to help this God? It was suspicious to him. "…What do you get out of it? What must I do for you in return?" There had to be a stipulation on this. There was no way that he would be able to gain this much ability from a God for free.

Zorc seemed obviously intrigued by the Thief King's suspicions and humored him. "Gather the seven items and place them in the Stone Tablet below Kul Elna…" he instructed. "Then I shall be revived in my true form and help you destroy everything that stands in your way."

Bakura couldn't help but smirk at the thought. All Zorc wanted was to be revived? It seemed simple enough if he was given the strength he desired. He was a Thief King after all. Stealing was what he was best at. "Interesting…" he trailed off before making up his mind. "I shall take you up on your offer."

The dark God grinned, pleased with this answer and gave another mocking bow. "I am pleased to make this contract with you, Thief King…" he chuckled.

Soon enough, another strong gust of wind blew through Bakura's cloak. The Thief King squint his eyes and shielded his face with his arms, watching as Zorc became transparent before him. His body then gave a large, involuntary shudder as the transparent figure moved through his body, passing directly through his chest. He suddenly felt a large tug against his soul before his eyes widened. His mouth opened in a silent scream, feeling an overflow of liquid fire coarse through his veins before falling forward. Unable to catch himself, he slipped into unconsciousness in the darkness.

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xxxxx

Bakura didn't know if it was hours or days later, but when he finally woke up, he was face-down in the cot at the village inn. It was mid-day and the sun shone brightly into the room. He let out a muffled groan, sitting up slowly so as not to get dizzy. He felt like he had just been run over by a herd of horses. He swung his legs over the side of the cot, lifting his arms to make sure his gold was still in place. Satisfied with their places on his body, he grit his teeth as he tried to make sense of what happened.

Was he dreaming all of that? He held out his hands and looked down at the tanned calloused palms. And then he felt it. The tug on his soul. He flexed his fingers, feeling liquid warmth he had never experienced coarse over him. No, that wasn't a dream. This power he felt was not his own.

As if to emphasize this point, a familiar voice sounded in his mind. _'I see that you're enjoying the strength I have given you…? Now you will be able to face down any Priest that stands in your way…' _Bakura could practically hear the grin in the voice.

The Thief King was oddly calm upon figuring out that Zorc had somehow fused part of himself inside of his body. He was too distracted by this newfound confidence and power he had throughout his body. He just knew that somehow he had enough power to defeat anyone who opposed him. The corners of his lips twitched upwards into a smirk as a small chuckle rumbled through his throat. Eventually, the smirk turned into a grin moments later as the chuckle became a full out laugh. His facial features darkened, a twisted idea coming to mind. "Zorc, I believe I have the perfect way to pay our _dear_ Pharoah a visit…" he spoke out loud. He rose up from his cot, making sure his items were in place. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "We're going to take a little visit to his father's tomb in order to bring him a nice _present_…" The way he spoke out "present" indicated that it was a sinister joke that only he and his partner understood. "It would be rather rude to make a grand entrance empty handed, wouldn't you agree?"

Bakura's grin returned, his spirits rose as he laughed again. Now having clear direction on what he was going to do next, he began his plotting. He walked out of the inn, ignoring the odd looks he garnered. The Pharoah was going to die and he would take over as ruler of all of Egypt. It was the perfect plan of revenge for his fallen people. He was prepared to drown the entire country in blood if that was what it took to get what he wanted.

As he headed towards his next destination, he had no regrets on selling his soul for power. He was going to force his name into history and his first step towards it started today.

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A/N: Just to avoid confusion, no this isn't going to be a fic about Thief King Bakura and Ryou. This fic will revolve around Zorc, Bakura, and Ryou so I thought it would be important to establish how Zorc and Bakura first met.

Since this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic, I'd love some feedback! Please review!

Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 1: No Longer Human

Disclaimer:

Now to actually get into the main plot~!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Only Kazuki Takahashi owns that right.

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**Chapter 1: No Longer Human**

Bakura woke up with a start, panting heavily as he bolted up in his bed within the confines of his soul room. It was quite a small, isolated area that was shrouded in darkness. Save for the few shelves of books and the bed, everything else was fields of sand and black. One couldn't see more than five feet in front of their face unless that person was Bakura—the one who was accustomed to eternal darkness.

It had been three-thousand years since he had first made his deal with Zorc and now he was only a fragment of his former self. Still, it was the price he had to pay for getting his revenge on the Pharoah who was also now an ancient spirit trapped inside of a Millennium Item. He pulled the covers from off of himself, scowling into the darkness. It was the fifth time this week that he had that damn dream about his past life. _Ra_, was it annoying. Despite not even being human anymore, the nightmare reminded him of his weaknesses and his doubts. They were thoughts that he didn't want to dwell on.

'_Voice… are you alright?' _

A timid voice broke through Bakura's mental link. The spirit glared irritably at seemingly nothing, remaining in silence for a moment. "Mind your own damn business!" he growled as he got out of his bed and headed towards the door of his soul room. He pulled it open and then noticed the fragile figure of his host standing across from him.

No longer did Bakura look like an Egyptian thief. Now he resembled his current host, pale-skinned and thin with barely any muscle mass. He wore a striped white and blue shirt with pale blue jeans. Staring at his host was like looking into a mirror. The only difference was that his host looked much more innocent, his facial features soft and his eyes a hazel-brown color. His white hair was slightly past his shoulders and appeared soft in comparison to Bakura's more unruly, spiked mane. The one striking difference between them was the fact that spirit's eyes were a much darker shade of brown, almost resembling a murky red color.

Bakura idly glanced down at the Millennium Ring that was around the boy's neck before glaring up irritably at his face.

"…I could sense that you were distressed about something and wanted to know if you were okay…" the boy murmured quietly. He looked hesitant as if he were going to reach out and try and pry a splinter from a bear's paw.

Bakura crossed his arms. "When the hell did I say that you could come to my soul room?" he demanded in a growl. Lately, his host had been more invasive than usual. Ever since the Battle City tournaments ended and they regained their links to each other, the brat had begun making efforts on trying to get to know him better. They were a waste on the boy's part since he wanted nothing to do with it. All his host was good for was getting from point A to point B and once his plans were complete, he'd have no more use for him. That's what he always told himself. It was endlessly annoying at how hard his host tried-not to mention pathetic.

His host, Ryou, gave a small frown at the resistant reply. It was obvious that he knew that it wasn't wise to overstep his boundaries with a spirit who could easily make his life a living hell, but couldn't help himself. Whether or not Bakura wanted to admit it, Ryou could feel the spirit's grief and sorrow every night when he went to sleep.

"Well?" Bakura pressed with narrowed eyes. "I'm waiting for an answer."

Ryou frowned even more, but finally gave a sigh. "You always say that I can't bother you when you're in your soul room," he murmured quietly.

The dark spirit gave a curt nod, looking like a smug teacher who had just admonished an unruly student. "Exactly," he snapped. "So leave me alone."

Bakura's host would have usually complied with the spirit's orders, but remained in place today. "Voice… I'd like for us to be able to talk more…" he replied calmly. "…I want to understand you…"

"And you keep saying that," Bakura growled. "Why the hell do you _want _to understand me, brat?"

Ryou paused in thought, wisely deciding to ignore the insult. He would have to pick his words carefully. "I want us to co-exist peacefully without me having to fear you…"

Bakura gave a loud snort of disgust. "You'd be better off fearing me, _yadonushi_," he murmured with a slight sneer in place. "You are simply my means to an end and you know that. You only live because I choose to keep you alive."

The younger boy shook his head. "I'm alive because you _need _me," he retorted haughtily. "I know that not just anyone can inherit the Millennium Ring and without my body, you would just be a spirit trapped inside a piece of gold."

The dark spirit's eyes narrowed. He hated whenever Ryou brought up that little detail. "You forget one thing," he growled low in his throat, reaching over to grasp tightly onto the other boy's shirt collar and drag him closer. "Ever since you took hold of the Ring, I became your master. You can't do anything without me, _yadonushi_. Face it; you're weak and pathetic without me here to control your body."

Ryou visibly cringed, the familiar flash of fear going across his eyes as he looked back at his darker half. Bakura had a point of his own. Even if he was just trying to amuse himself by torturing others, Bakura had protected him from getting bullied when he first took possession of the Ring. The boy would most likely still be bullied if not for the spirit.

Continuing on his tirade, Bakura added, "I'm not like you. I'm not a mortal with weak human emotions who needs support and sympathy from others. If you want to pity me for whatever reason, you're wasting your energy."

Bakura's host frowned despite himself. "You were human once!" he protested impulsively. "And I'm not pitying you. I just want to understand you better since we're stuck together," he explained, trying to get himself out of the dark spirit's hold.

Bakura's grip tightened on the shirt. "Your entire notion of friendship and whatever the hell else Yugi spouts is wasted on me. I don't _want_ or _need_ anyone to talk to so the sooner you get that through your thick-headed skull, the better." While it was convenient that Bakura could stay close to his enemy by having Ryou remain friends with Yugi, it was still annoying to hear the pointy-haired brat prattle on about friendship. Companions only slowed you down. Working alone was how he survived for so long. He wasn't about to change his habits just because his naïve host wanted to idiotically try to make amends.

The young teen's fear-filled stare was replaced with an expression of disappointment. "I don't know how you can handle being alone for so long…" he murmured sullenly.

For some reason, just hearing Ryou's tone of voice only annoyed the spirit more. He shoved his host away without warning, watching with slight satisfaction when the teen was unable to keep balance and fell over on his ass. "Fine, if you want to understand me so damn badly, I'll lend you a hand," he spoke, his voice eerily calm. When Ryou stared back up at his face, a dark smirk crossed his lips. "I think it's time for you to take a little nap…"

Ryou paled slightly once he understood what Bakura was planning to do. "…Voice…please don't do what I think you're about to do…" he pleaded, trying not to cringe. The spirit knew that Ryou hated this punishment more than anything else. However, it was already too late for the teen. As soon as he spoke, he found himself surrounded by darkness. He was fully isolated in a small space, not even placed in his own soul room. It was mental solitary confinement where the door was locked and only Bakura had the key to let him out.

Bakura concentrated his energy and opened his host's eyes to become fully conscious in the physical world. He was thankful that he was finally able to shut Ryou up for a good while. That brat was getting on his last nerve.

He sat up in Ryou's chair and realized that he was sitting in the dining room. A history book was laid open beside a page of notes. It was apparent that his host had been doing homework before he decided to rudely intrude on his solitude. He was half-tempted to sabotage Ryou's work, but soon stopped himself short. It would be a waste of his effort.

He then found himself thinking back to Ryou's words. _He was human once_. The spirit snorted. That was the key word; "once." Ever since he accepted his contract with Zorc, he lost what little humanity he had left. It was even worse when he lost his own physical body and was forced to jump hosts for a few millennia. Immortality was a great way to remind him just how far he had fallen over the years. While some humans aspired to become immortal, Bakura viewed it as a curse. It was tiring and sucked out any chance of living a normal life. All he lived for now was destroying the Pharoah and getting his revenge. Everything he had done up to this point was wait for his chance and plan out the Pharoah's demise. When one host ended up dying, he would become trapped inside of the Millennium Ring and wait for another person to inherit the sacred item even if the waiting period took decades. He bode his time in the shadows.

Bakura honestly didn't know how much longer he could continue host hopping. He was determined to make Ryou his last host. Now that the Pharoah was finally conscious in the present day, he knew that he couldn't waste time. He had to act in this life. That was why he was dependent on his host as much as he hated to admit it to himself.

He lived most of his existence in the darkness. For Ryou to suddenly invade that space and demand for them to "communicate" was something he hated. It was insulting to him. He was able to exist in solitude and functioned perfectly well on his own. It was _Ryou_ who needed the company. It was like Ryou was trying to push his needs on him and imply that Bakura was the one who needed someone. His host had another thing coming. The only thing that Bakura needed was the Pharoah's death. He had sold his soul for that one purpose.

Though one thing Bakura didn't ever dwell on was what would happen _after _the Pharoah was defeated. What then? Would he also move onto the afterlife? Would he lose his will to live? Ryou wouldn't live forever. Even if he survived, he'd eventually have to latch onto a new host. Just thinking about that was exhausting. More waiting.

Bakura's fist slammed down hard on the surface of the table, sending the history book clattering to the ground. The dull throbbing of the pain was a welcome sensation. It at least gave him some semblance of being "normal." He still felt physical pain even if he could sterilize his emotions from the rest of the world. He lifted his hand and noticed the reddened skin, calming his tormenting thoughts. He had work to do. He couldn't just sit around waiting for a miracle. It wasn't like he believed in that sort of nonsense anyways. That was for the weak-minded and Bakura was far from weak.

He finally rose from his seat, walking over to the coat-rack and pulling off a large black leather trench coat. He smirked slightly, remembering store he had stolen the coat from. It was one of his more amusing shoplifting experiences. He pulled on the coat and flipped up the collar, not bothering to zip up. He wouldn't mind feeling the night chill. It at least kept him alert. He made a grab for the apartment keys and slipped on his shoes. Tonight was as good a time as any to take a night stroll. He almost snickered at the thought, feeling the weight of his oversized pocket knife in his left coat pocket. After Ryou's little annoying interlude, he owed it to himself to have at least a _little _fun in his host's body.

After all, what good was living forever if you couldn't enjoy yourself once in a while?

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A/N: Fear not, readers…! This will eventually become a tendershipping plot. I just wanted to establish their canon relationship and develop it from there. Too many fics I read start it out with Ryou already being in a one-sided crush with Bakura or make him into a complete pushover. I'd like to make these two as believable and as close to the canon as I possibly can. I hope you'll enjoy my interpretation of these characters!

As if you guys would really need this translated, but "yadonushi" is what Bakura calls Ryou in the manga. It literally means like "landlord" or basically like his host.

Please review!

Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 2: Setting the Board

Disclaimer:

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Kazuki Takahashi has that honor!

Please note that from now on, I will be switching between Ryou and Bakura's POVs for each chapter. So while the last two chapters were from Bakura's perspective, this one will be from Ryou's perspective!

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**Chapter 2: Setting the Board**

"_Move the hut over more…_"

"_The tree is in the way of the market…_"

"…_Why the hell are you placing the columns of the Pharoah's palace over _there?"

Ryou breathed in deeply, pausing in his movements and closing his eyes in a vain effort to prevent himself from snapping at his darker half. This had been happening repeatedly for the past few hours. Building this huge table for Yami Bakura's new project had taken weeks of preparation. Every day after school, Bakura would direct his host towards the local museum and continue constructing the table under his supervision.

Ryou honestly couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a proper night's sleep in the past two months. The only thing Bakura would say was that if he cooperated, he would be allowed in control of his body during the day. This allowed the boy to attend school regularly for the first time in literal years. It wasn't like Ryou was going to turn that opportunity down.

The young teen glanced over at the transparent form of the ancient spirit who looked over the RPG table with an intense, scrutinizing expression. If Ryou's placement of clay figures were just _slightly_ off from what Bakura wanted, the spirit would snap at him to fix the mistake. It was as if Ryou was trying to split an atom. Every single placement of the figures had to be _just _right to please Bakura. Mistakes were not even a possibility to be entertained even if for a brief moment.

So far the Pharoah's palace was mostly finished and a handful of huts on the left side of the area were painted and put in place. The dirt road leading through the city was drawn out and painted trees were placed in various areas as instructed by the dark spirit.

"…_How many times do I have to tell you to keep the huts close together_?!" Bakura barked, glaring at his host with crossed arms. His transparent form floated above the ground as he stood next to the boy. Apparently the hut that was just placed was a millimeter's width too far from where the spirit wanted it.

Ryou cringed inwardly at the loudness of Bakura's booming voice through their mind link. He nearly dropped the clay replica in his hands, caught off guard by the sudden shout. He sucked in another deep breath, carefully putting down the hut in the middle of an empty space on the diorama. "…Voice, it would be helpful if you could give me more _specific _instructions before I place the clay…" he forced out in the most polite tone he could muster. It was getting increasingly harder not to grit his teeth every time he replied to his darker half.

"_My instructions are specific! It's not my fault that you're so incompetent with everything!_" Bakura growled back.

The teen felt his clay and paint-clad hands drop to his sides and tighten into fists. "…'Place the hut over there' followed by 'no, not right there! Move it over!' is _not _specific!" he huffed out, narrowing his eyes back towards the spirit.

"_It has to look exactly like it did three thousand years ago!" _Bakura insisted. He reminded Ryou of a child who snapped whenever a parent would do something slightly off on an experiment when helping him with a class science project. Everything just _had _to be perfect.

Ryou sucked in another deep breath, trying to calm himself before he made the spirit even more irritated with him. He turned completely towards Bakura's form, adding, "Why can't you show me Egypt through your eyes so I can figure it out that way?"

The thief's eyes narrowed. "_We're doing it my way. Either get used to it or I'll just find someone else to finish up this table for me_," he growled stubbornly. What was left unsaid was the assumption that Ryou would be locked up in his soul room if it resulted in Bakura getting fed up with his host.

Ryou frowned. "…Why can't you just show me what it looked like?" he pressed. Bakura always seemed to get more on edge whenever the boy asked about anything related to his past. "I'm sure you're capable of sending a mental picture through our link…" This project would get done so much faster if Bakura didn't have to stop Ryou every other minute to yell at him.

Bakura snorted loudly. "_I don't care if it takes an extra week. We're doing this the way I planned it_," he responded. "_So get back to work before I get tired of you, yadonushi_."

The spirit's host didn't yet move. "No!" he snapped, glaring back defiantly at the thief. "This is ridiculous even for your standards!" His hands made no movement towards the table. "You won't tell me why you're making me build this RPG board, nor will you tell me the purpose of it. The _least _you could do is make my life easier by just showing me a glimpse of your memories of Egypt!" He had lost countless hours of sleep and precious amounts of time he could have used for homework just because he had been slaving over this damn diorama. Ryou had reached his limits.

The dark spirit's eyes immediately sparked with fire. "_Do you really think it's wise to piss me off?_" He growled low in his voice. "_You remember what happened the last time you refused to listen to me?"_

Ryou stood his ground firmly. "So what if you lock me up again? It just further delays this project of yours," he pointed out. "You seem desperate to finish it as quick as possible…"

Bakura grit his teeth. It was obvious that the boy had a point. In an instant, the air in the room went from extremely tense to quiet and awkward. _"…I don't even know why you even bother to continue asking me _why_ I'm telling you to make this. Is my target never obvious enough for you?_" he replied in a calmer tone. It seemed that the more Bakura locked Ryou away, the less effective it became as a punishment and both of them knew it.

Ryou froze, all of his anger leaving him at once. His eyes widened. Of course. Why was he such an idiot? "…You're planning to go after Yugi-kun again, aren't you?!" he gasped out in horror. He stared down at the table and at his hands, suddenly ashamed that he had indirectly helped Bakura accomplish his goals. "…That's why you never told me what this was for!" He was shaking, unsure if it was out of disgust, fear, anger, or a mixture of the three emotions.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "_I never told you because you should know by now_," he scoffed. "_My target is and _always_ will be the Pharoah_." He flashed a wry smirk in Ryou's direction. "_I can't believe you did this much for me and didn't connect the two together… You really _are_ a pathetic host_." His tone became cynical as if he were a demon mocking a fallen human.

The younger man shook his head in disbelief. "You're horrible!" he hissed. "You know I would never help you if you were going to hurt my friends!"

To this, the thief laughed loudly. It was like Ryou had just said some hilarious joke. "_ 'Friends'_?" he echoed with a snicker. "_You honestly think those ignorant mortals are your friends_?"

Ryou glared. "Well they treat me much better than you do!" he snapped back, offended that Bakura was judging his attempts to form friendships.

Bakura only chuckled. "_Are you so sure about that_?" He shook his head. "_At least I'm up front with how I treat you… those fools call you their friend to your face and yet never invite you to go anywhere with them. They clearly don't trust you with anything_."

"I wonder why that is…" Ryou grumbled under his breath. Obviously, he might be closer to Yugi and his group by now if it wasn't for his darker half's meddling.

The thief rolled his eyes. "_I don't know why you still bother_," he scoffed. "_So long as the Pharoah and I are sworn enemies, you'll never be able to be actual friends with his vessel's group_."

Bakura's host felt his fists clench up again. "Why do you even hate him so much anyways?!" he snapped. "As far as I'm concerned, Yugi-kun and his other self have done nothing but good things for other people!"

At once, the spirit's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "_It's none of your damn business why I want him dead!_" he snarled. In one instant, he went from irritated to angry.

Ryou narrowed his eyes back. "And there you go again!" he huffed, beyond exasperated. "Every time I bring up some part of your past, you snap at me! Why can't you just give me some hint so I can understand why you get offended so much?!"

"_…And the Pharoah is _far_ from innocent. He just conveniently forgot about everything he did_," Bakura added in a quieter hiss. His transparent figure moved closer towards Ryou. "_Just because you were chosen as my host doesn't mean shit to me,_" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave in an effort to sound threatening. "_Do you know how many other hosts I've had before you? You're not special so don't expect me to treat you any differently by telling you about my life_."

The boy felt his irritation abate from Bakura's words. "…You know…" he began calmly, "The more you tell me things like that to push me away, the more I think that you're only just trying to protect yourself from getting hurt…"

The ancient spirit froze. He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped his jaw shut only a second later. For once in their long forced partnership together, Ryou had managed to stun the thief into silence. No comeback was given.

Ryou noticed this and shook his head slowly. "If you aren't willing to tell me anything, I see no reason to help you," he added. "All I want is to get to know you better."

Bakura still didn't say anything. His gaze fell to the floor for a bit as if he were debating with himself on what to do. It was definitely an odd sight for his host to take in. The usually arrogant spirit had no insult to throw back at him. After what seemed like forever, his voice spoke up. "_…Everything I do is for revenge…_"

The young man's eyes widened. Bakura was actually opening up to him? This was entirely unexpected. He had always wished for the spirit to do such a thing, but for it to actually be a reality was something else entirely. "…What did the Pharoah's spirit do to make you want revenge against him?" He asked this in a cautious voice, scared to push Bakura too hard too soon.

"_It was his entire family_," Bakura corrected. He glanced away from Ryou, looking down at the incomplete table, going silent for a few minutes more. "_…So are you going to finish this thing or not?_" It was clear to the host that Bakura was not comfortable with this conversation and wanted to change gears as soon as possible.

Sensing Bakura's oddly rare emotion of discomfort, Ryou sighed. "…Are you still going to let me go to school?"

The spirit nodded. "_I already made the deal with you, didn't I?_" he snorted. "_I don't go back on promises._"

The teen then did something that was alarmingly odd. He beamed up at Bakura. He was just so happy to finally find a crack in the thief's wall of defenses. "I'm not the type to leave work unfinished…" he admitted. "But you need to leave Yugi-kun and everyone else out of this…" His tone grew firmer with his added requirement. "And if you lie to me about it, I'll do everything in my power to stop you from succeeding in your goals…"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "_I'm not making any more promises to you_," he grumbled. "_You already got enough out of me, brat._" His tone proved that he was definitely irritated that he had exposed so much to his host.

Somehow though, Ryou knew that Bakura would try to fulfill his request as best as he could. Though Bakura would never admit it, the spirit needed Ryou's help to fulfill his objectives. To this, the thief's host smiled at the man. "Well… come on, then," he murmured. He picked up the clay hut he put down earlier. "Where do I put this one?"

And so it went on…

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A/N: Woo~! I finally updated this fic! While I'm not the type to plead for reviews, I'd like to know people's thoughts about this piece. So if you guys could maybe review sometimes, I'd really appreciate it!

I'm glad that I finally could start developing their relationship. Sorry if the development is slow at first… I just want to try making their transition from reluctant relationship to friends to more as realistic as possible. This is why I didn't want to start it out with Ryou having some one-sided crush on Bakura. I wanted to challenge myself. I want both of them to develop feelings for each other as the fic goes on rather than just Bakura changing for Ryou.

That said, another thing I wanted to do was to make Ryou have somewhat of a backbone. I feel like after a few years of being with Bakura, he would start fearing him a bit less. He'd be used to Bakura's company and could push back against him once in a while. Of course, Ryou doesn't do this often. As stated in the chapter, he does it only once in a while when Bakura pushes him too far. I just enjoy writing Ryou as someone who isn't quite a pushover. He's been through a lot in his life so I feel like he's a lot stronger than many people depict him as.

With all of that said, please review!

Ja ne!


	4. Chapter 3: Conflicting Emotions

**Disclaimer****:**

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Kazuki Takahashi thankfully owns all of those rights because if I had creative rights over this franchise, it would be filled to the brim with yaoi fanservice.

Thanks to the reviewers: AnnaMNR and Harutemu!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Conflicting Emotions**

Irritation. Anger. Frustration. All of these emotions made up Bakura's mood when he woke up the next day and immediately took control of his host's body. He felt a mild bit of satisfaction when he heard the protest in the back of his mind and shut it down without paying much attention to the words.

After getting out of bed and making the conscious decision to leave the tousled covers for Ryou to straighten up when he was back in control, Bakura shuffled his feet into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Unlike his polite counterpart, he took his coffee black. He wanted it to taste as bitter as possible to wake up his senses and bring him back into the reality of the physical realm he was living in.

Once the coffee was finished dripping into the pot, he poured himself a mug and sat down at the dining table. He let the black liquid cool off for a few moments before taking a sip. While a normal person would have probably reacted by the coffee scolding their tongue, Bakura almost seemed to relish in the stinging sensation. He swallowed down the bitter taste like he was sucking down cold water. After deeply inhaling the familiar smell as if he was performing a daily ritual, his dark eyes narrowed into the mug.

The conversation between him and Ryou was beginning to surface in his head again. The coffee had really done nothing to help soothe his negative mood. If anything, it made his mood even more transfixed on the past night. He fought the temptation to throw the mug to the tiled floor.

Why had he mentioned his revenge to his host? And even more, why the hell was Ryou so happy to know about it? Just how far was that brat willing to go to get him to crack? He scowled. No, he wasn't going to crack just because of one damn smile from a bizarre kid. That much was certain as far as he was concerned.

Even so, what was it that caused Bakura to open up to his host? He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be angry at himself or Ryou. Despite him only saying that the Pharaoh's family had wronged him, it was still way more than he had ever mentioned to any other host he had had in the past. Usually, after enough intimidation, the others would have backed off or given up altogether. Ryou was a different species of host altogether. Rather than back off, it seemed like the more Bakura pushed him away, the more Ryou persisted with talking with him.

Did that brat forget what he was capable of? No, that couldn't be it. Ryou was many things, but he wasn't forgetful. Ryou knew very well that Bakura could destroy what little relationship he had with his so-called "friends," let alone the rest of the world if he wished it so. The teen knew that Bakura was capable of being a monster and yet he kept persisting. Did Ryou think that he could warm his heart if he could teach him the concept of "love" or "trust"? The notion was enough to make him laugh. Bakura's soul didn't need saving. There was no soul left to save. The moment he gave into Zorc, his heart turned about as bitter and black as the coffee he was ingesting.

Another voice spoke from the back of his mind that made him freeze.

_If you have no soul, why did yadonushi's words have such an impact on you? _

At first, Bakura thought it was Ryou suddenly breaking free from the spirit's mental lock over him, but he soon realized that it was his own voice. The spirit's eyes widened ever so slightly at this shock to his core.

He then recalled what Ryou had said to him: _"You know, the more you tell me things like that to push me away, the more I think that you're only just trying to protect yourself from getting hurt…"_

He needed to protect himself from being hurt? What sort of nonsense bullshit was that? Bakura inwardly scoffed at the very notion. He was merely caught off guard by Ryou's idiocy. That had to be it. If he was to agree with Ryou in any sort of capacity, that would be admitting to himself that he was weak. Bakura was not weak. He was the bringer of darkness; the stealer of souls. He was _not _some child who needed protecting from pain!

His thoughts were suddenly silenced when he felt a scalding hot, damp cloth rubbing against his host's left thigh. During his inner rant, he hadn't noticed that he had spilt the remainder of the coffee onto the table. Now the liquid had went over the edge of the table and soaked through his shorts. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, getting up from his seat to inspect the damage. Dark liquid spread over the table's wooden surface and dripped onto the tiles, creating a small puddle. His host's clothing was now spotted with the coffee, causing him to curse out loud for a moment.

Deciding to have enough decency to clean up after his mess, Bakura wiped up the spilt coffee with a few paper towels and placed the mug into the sink. At the very least, it was enough to keep his mind off of a few nagging thoughts. Once he was finished, he walked back to the bathroom to take a highly sought after shower.

* * *

xxxxx

* * *

Bakura was thankful that he could keep his mind off of what Ryou had said to him throughout the day as he gathered more supplies for their collaborative project. He had managed to steal a few paintbrushes and carving tools since the other ones Ryou had been using had since worn out.

As soon as he was back inside of the museum and stood in front of the large RPG table, he switched places with his host and pulled out into his spirit form. As much as Ryou had pissed him off in the past, he had to admit that when his host put his mind to a project, he worked his ass off on it. The replica Thebes was already mostly done and Ryou was seemingly earnest to continue his work.

After a half-hour of complete silence, Ryou finally turned to the side to look at the spirit beside him. He had just finished painting a hut to place into the market area and set it beside of a clay tree. "Voice… does this look alright?" he asked in a cautious tone. He looked as if he wasn't sure what to do when Bakura wasn't constantly barking orders at him.

Bakura was too lost in thought to really pay much attention to what Ryou had been doing. Before he had even realized what he was saying, he quietly murmured, _"…The RPG board looks great so far."_

The thief hadn't even figured out the implication of his words until he noticed the all-too blinding smile from his host. He inwardly cursed himself for even complimenting the brat. What the hell was wrong with him today?

As if to emphasize the rarity of his comment, Ryou quipped, "You seem like you're in a better mood tonight…"

The spirit scowled slightly, hating even more that Ryou knew that something was off about him. "_Don't get used to it,_" he snorted, trying to quickly recover his usual gruffness.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "At least your stubbornness is the same as ever…" he grumbled under his breath.

Despite having heard that statement, the spirit said nothing in response. Instead, he glared mildly at the boy when he moved a market stand too far left of the main dirt path. "_Move the stand more towards the center,_" he huffed.

The teen quickly figured out what his partner wanted and placed the stand against the side of the pathway. "Better?" He glanced over at the spirit for approval.

Bakura gave a curt nod of his head. He noticed Ryou pause and frowned. "_Keep going._"

Ryou began to focus his energy on painting a few of the figurines of various villagers. He used muted colors from his palate, intermingling pale yellows, oranges, and browns. After two of the villagers were set aside, he lowered his brush, turned his head to glance at Bakura, and softly murmured, "Thanks for getting me the supplies I needed…"

The thief raised his eyebrow, a bit caught off guard by the gratitude. Ryou had thanked him before for some various other things, but for some reason, this one seemed different. For once, Ryou didn't sound like he was trying too hard to get a reaction out of him; rather, he was thanking him because he wanted Bakura to know that he was grateful for his help.

And it was this very sentence from Ryou that caused Bakura to finally speak his mind: "_Why are you doing this?_"

The corners of Ryou's lips twitched down, blinking up at him with confusion flashing in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"_Why are you helping me?"_ Bakura pressed, narrowing his eyes at Ryou. _"You know I could very well do many things that would hurt you in the long run and yet you're still doing this."_ He sounded skeptical. Did Ryou have something to gain from this? Was he trying to trick him into being thankful? That sure as hell wasn't going to happen!

The host paused in his work and placed the figurine he held in his hand onto the table. He then turned his body fully towards the spirit, a mixture of emotions flickering across his eyes until he spoke. He looked as if he were trying to phrase the words carefully in his mind before speaking them aloud. "I thought about what you said… your need for revenge…" he began slowly. "While I don't really know the specifics, I can relate to why you'd want to harm someone because of your hatred for them…" He glanced down at his hands for a moment. "…For a while, I wanted to hurt the guy who killed my mother and sister in that car accident." There was notable shame in his voice.

Bakura's eyes widened in the slightest before he quickly covered up his surprise and snorted loudly as irritation crept into his disposition. _"Don't try to relate to me, yadonushi. You have no idea wha—!"_

Ryou cut him off quickly. "I'm not stupid, you know!" he snapped, glaring back mildly at the spirit. His mood switched at the flip of a coin. "The Pharaoh's family did something terrible to people you cared about, right? Why else would you want revenge after so many years?"

The thief gritted his teeth immediately. And _this_ was exactly why he wasn't supposed to reveal anything to his hosts! Just one sentence was able to get Ryou to come to such a conclusion! The worst part was noticing Ryou's realization of being right in his suspicions from the spirit's outward reaction. He caught the brief glimmer in the boy's eyes as he didn't bother to hold in his displeasure.

Ryou shook his head as if he were admonishing a stubborn child. "…If you're acting this defensive about me figuring out the truth, doesn't that prove that you still have vulnerable feelings that you want to protect?" He frowned, looking back up at the spirit. "You claim to be some type of heartless monster, but that's a lie you've grown to accept as truth, right?"

Bakura froze, feeling a mixture of surprise and annoyance build up within him. Then he saw the emotions in Ryou's eyes. There was this irritating sympathetic look in them as if his host was feeling glad that he was getting through to him. If there was _anything _that pissed him off more than being compared to the Pharaoh; it was pity.

In that instant, the thief had decided to fix things. This brat had overstepped his boundaries.

Within the blink of an eye, the Ring glowed around Ryou's neck and pulled both of them into the teen's soul room. Before Ryou could even figure out what was going on, Bakura had a hold over the collar of his shirt and slammed his back hard against a wall.

A look of pain crossed over Ryou's features. "W-what are you—?!"

Bakura's angry features were replaced with a dark smirk. It nearly turned into an outright grin when he noticed the pained cringe. "…You don't think I'm a monster?" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave for added intimidation. He continued, "Maybe I should remind you just how cruel I can be and then we can see if you still think the same way…"

In the past, Ryou would have surely backed down and would have pleaded for Bakura to stop. However, this time, he stood his ground and leveled a glare back at the spirit as if to show that he wasn't going to be scared of him anymore. "No matter how much you may hurt me, I'm not going to change my mind. You're actually just proving my point!" he stated firmly.

The smirk dissolved just as quickly as it came. Bakura's grip tightened over Ryou's shirt. "Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?!" he snarled, rage spreading across his nerves quickly. "Just because you hear a bit about my life and make a few generic guesses, you suddenly think you're better than me?! That _you're_ saner?!" With each word he spoke, his brown eyes almost seemed to spark red with increased anger.

It was now that Ryou was beginning to realize the severity of the situation he had gotten himself into. The spirit could tell just by the change in his voice. "I-I never said that!" he protested, trying to pull out of the thief's hold. He was trapped between Bakura and the wall, unable to do anything but squirm in desperation.

"Should I remind you about your fanatic obsession with the occult?" Bakura spat, unable to stop his tirade. It was as if the flood gates to his pent up frustrations had finally begun to crack open. "You're so pathetic that you write letters to your sister even though she's been dead for almost ten years!" He saw a flinch and continued. He wanted to see the pain on his host's face. "Even before you started to annoy me with your constant want for my friendship, you kept taking the Ring back, fully knowing the consequences." He sneered maliciously. "Are you so desperate for companionship that you'd just take it from anyone? Even from a murderer who steals souls?" He snorted again, his irritation enveloping his cruelty once more. "You have no room to fucking talk as if you're normal. The fact that you're trying to even understand someone like _me _just proves how lonely and pathetic you are."

By the end of Bakura's rant, Ryou's protests had completely stopped. His head bowed, his white hair concealing his eyes with his body completely stilling itself. After a few seconds of silence, he whispered, "…Are you finished?"

If this was in the physical world, he would have been out of breath. Instead, within the confines of the mind, he just continued to glare stubbornly at Ryou as if the teen had revealed all of his darkest secrets to Yuugi's group.

When nothing was said, Ryou continued speaking in a hushed, even tone. "…Maybe I am as you say," he began. "I've thought about suicide quite a few times since you had taken over my body due to the problems you've caused adding onto everything else wrong in my life…" He looked at Bakura's face finally, his eyes reflecting shame and anguish. A few tears had gathered in his eyes and threatened to spill over. "…However…" His fists clenched at his sides as he went on. "I never got to the point of attempting it because I wanted to prove you wrong. I'm _not _going to just stand by and let you continue to think that you can scare me into staying silent while you do whatever you please with my body."

Bakura wasn't really that surprised to hear that Ryou had suicidal tendencies. It just backed up his claims of how weak-minded the boy really was. However, what _did _surprise him was his host's ability to quickly see through his ruse. As Ryou grew thicker skin, it was harder for Bakura to intimidate him and they both knew this. This just put the thief at a loss. How was he supposed to keep his control over Ryou when scaring him into submission no longer worked?

Ryou's eyes narrowed, regaining some sense of composure. "You can say everything you can to hurt me, but I'm not going to roll over and stay silent. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction anymore," he replied sharply. "And say what you will, but I can read you better than you think I can…" He frowned, his temper calming. "Every time you have nightmares, though I can't see them, I know they're terrible and you hardly sleep. You always try to play up the fact that you're someone who can take on the entire world, but you have your own vulnerabilities. Why else would you have risked your life to save mine?"

"You know damn well I only saved you during Battle City because I can't risk losing you as my host," Bakura growled in interjection. "I did it for no other reason." This was always the reason he assumed made the most sense to him. Why else would he try to protect Ryou? The brat was the first person in literal decades to be able to accept the Ring without burning alive in the process.

"Maybe so," Ryou huffed stubbornly. "But you still exposed to everyone that you _have _to rely on somebody to survive." He shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, you're just as human as anyone else I know. You still have weaknesses and emotions and desires just as I do…" He glanced away from the thief. "I just wish you'd stop trying to kid yourself. You may have fooled everyone else, but you're not fooling me."

Bakura felt his annoyance surge through him again. "You have no idea—!" he boomed before cutting himself off. He scowled, quieting his voice. "…You have no idea how wrong you are…" Honestly, just how naïve was this brat? If his host knew about Zorc and how he had practically given the God of Darkness his soul, would Ryou still think the same way? During this thought process, his grip loosened enough on Ryou so that the teen could finally move out of his hold.

The thief's host frowned, clearly having heard the sudden change in tone. Within a few seconds, Bakura went from livid to sounding like a man who held great levels of shame on his shoulders. Rather than being proud of his strength, he was ashamed of himself. Ryou lifted his hand towards Bakura's chest as if he was going to reach out and touch the spirit, but held back at the last moment. "…It doesn't matter what your past is," he sighed. "…You are still more than just some type of cruel monster to me, _Bakura_… I've shared my body with you long enough to figure that out."

The spirit froze, all semblance of anger leaving him in an instant. "…W-what did you just call me?" His eyes widened, his voice giving away his surprise.

Ryou paused as if to realize what he had just said, a slight blush of embarrassment dusting over his cheeks. Quickly trying to recover himself, he asked, "…That's your name, right? Your actual one." He smiled wryly. "…I always thought it was a bit odd that we shared the same name…"

Bakura didn't actually hear anything past Ryou's first question. He was used to the Pharaoh and the others calling him by his "name," but that was because they were using Ryou's last name. They only used that name for him because it was much easier than just saying 'The Spirit of the Millennium Ring' over and over. There was a definite difference between meaning Ryou's name and then genuinely saying the thief's actual name and meaning it. For a host to actually care to say his name was a first. He was stunned once again by this brat. "…Why are you calling me that now?" Despite how Bakura had entirely stolen Ryou's identity, he was willing to accept sharing the same name?

Ryou kept his smile in place, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, if I'm going to stand by my convictions, I can't keep calling you 'Voice,'" he pointed out. "You're a bit more than just a disembodied voice now so it doesn't really fit anymore."

Despite how much his ego had just been bruised by Ryou, Bakura managed to cross his arms. "…Don't think you're going to get me to call you by your name any time soon, yadonushi," he sneered arrogantly. "I'm not going to bend to your will just because you suddenly want to use my name."

The host appeared indifferent. "I wasn't expecting you to use my actual name," he admitted. "I just want you to know where I stand."

Bakura scoffed, beginning to come back to his normal set of emotions. "I still think you're a naïve brat."

Ryou snorted as if he was trying to hold back a laugh. "So be it. I'm not changing my mind so get used to it, Bakura." It was as if their argument from several minutes ago had never happened.

The thief was still at odds with hearing his name come out of Ryou's mouth. Still, he had to admit, he didn't exactly _hate _it per se. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, but he felt the exact opposite when he heard it. After thousands of years being known as an ancient immortal spirit, it felt good to have someone acknowledge his identity again.

The teen sighed. "So shouldn't we get back to work?"

Bakura blinked before he realized what Ryou meant. For once, Ryou had actually managed to make him forget about building the RPG table. He quickly sent both of them back into the physical world and resumed his position watching his host working on the figurines.

Before the night ended, the thief then did something that surprised both of them. He had allowed for Ryou to stop two hours ahead of time so that they could go back home early.

Whether or not Bakura wanted to admit it, Ryou was getting under his skin.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long, guys! I was having some bad writer's block and had to deal with summer classes. I hope you all can enjoy the somewhat fluffy end of this chapter to make up for the long wait. XD

And if any of you are wondering where Zorc is, don't worry. He'll be coming back soon.

Please review because I love reading them!

Ja ne!


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